PREVIEW: Blue Jackets ride winning streak into Calgary
Columbus has been hot, but the Flames will provide a test tonight
But there is also the reality that Columbus must keep going if it is to get back into the playoff picture, with the Bruins still 10 points clear of the Blue Jackets.
GAMEDAY GUIDE: CBJ puts streak on line in Calgary
"First of all, we're not in a good spot," winger Patrik Laine said after his 93.9-mph slap shot gave Columbus a near-buzzer-beating win Saturday at Montreal. "We're not in the playoffs right now, but we are working hard. It's nice to get a win, and you need wins this time of year if you want to make it. We have to capitalize when other teams are losing and try to get back into the race."
It's also not hard to feel like there are some good vibes, though, among the CBJ players at the moment. Columbus has won five of six overall and five straight on the road, and all three wins since the break have been memorable.
First came a two-goal comeback at Washington last Tuesday capped by Boone Jenner's winner in the last minute, just the seventh last-minute victory in team history. Two days later in Buffalo, Columbus rallied from another two-goal deficit and got the winning goal from Jakub Voracek in overtime. Then in Montreal, Laine's winner with 7.2 seconds left was the latest game-winner in regulation in team history.
That has meant a 3-0 start to a five-game road trip, but while head coach Brad Larsen cautioned that confidence from those wins can't turn into overconfidence, he does like some of the things that his team is doing at the moment.
"I think more importantly it's just how we're winning, how we're playing," he said. "The last five or six games, I thought we have upped the ante on the physicality, competitiveness. Even some of the games we're down, we're playing the right way. We've talked about that process, how important it is, and how you win and how you lose is important.
"We know where we're going here. Calgary is a team that put up six on Vegas the other night. They're a pretty good team. We're gonna have to be at our best here. We know what they did to us in our building. That was a tough night for us. We'll have our hands full in Calgary."
Know the Foe
Calgary was the talk of the NHL on Monday as the Flames made clear their intentions to compete for the Stanley Cup this year by acquiring forward Tyler Toffoli from Montreal. The winger with a 9-17-26 line in 26 games for the Canadiens this year is coming off posting seven shots on goal Saturday vs. Columbus and should slot into the Flames' lineup tonight to play against the Blue Jackets again.
He gives Calgary another depth scoring option, not that the Flames necessarily need one. Calgary is eighth in the NHL with 3.33 goals per game and has scored at least four goals in eight of the last 11 games, including a 6-0 win at Columbus on Jan. 26 that featured 62 shots on goal for the team, the most ever allowed by the Blue Jackets in a regular-season game. In all, the Flames have won eight of nine and are one point out of first place in the Pacific Division.
So Columbus knows exactly how dangerous this team can be, and it starts with the line of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm. Per MoneyPuck.com, the trio is seventh in the NHL in expected goals percentage (63.3 percent) and has outscored foes 40-12 this year at 5-on-5. Gaudreau leads the team and is sixth in the NHL with 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists), while Tkachuk has 21 goals among his 50 points and Lindholm has a 18-22-40 line.
Andrew Mangiapane is also in the midst of potentially a breakout year, as he's tied for ninth in the league with 24 goals among his 31 points. The trio of Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund (7-14-21) and Blake Coleman (10-10-20) is also sixth in the league in expected goals percentage (63.4 percent).
Defensively, the team is excelling as well, placing second in the NHL with just 2.40 goals allowed per game and third in PK at 84.5 percent. The defensive corps of Oliver Kylington (6-18-24, +25), Rasmus Anderson (2-22-24, +12), Noah Hanifin (5-18-23, +12), Chris Tanev (4-13-17, +23), Nikita Zadorov (3-8-11, +1) and Erik Gudbranson (2-8-10, +1) has been one of the healthiest and best in the league, while goalie Jacob Markstrom is having a tremendous year.
The NHL's No. 1 star this past week after allowing just four goals in three wins over Vegas, Toronto and the New York Islanders, Markstrom is 20-10-5 this year in 36 starts with a 2.12 goals-against average (fourth best in the NHL among those with at least 15 starts) and .926 save percentage along with a league-best eight shutouts. Backup Daniel Vladar is 6-3-1 with a 2.64 GAA and .911 save percentage.
